Extensible car-step.



J. M. GORDBAY. ExTENsIBLB cu sm.

APPMUATIOH FILED IAB. 4, 1912.

Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

NSW

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Specific-ation ofLetter Patent.-

Pa'tete'a Mai-.18,1913.

pplication led March 4, 1 912. ASerial No, 681,342.

To all 'whom it. may. concern)- .-Be it 'known that I, JAMES l Connnarg citizen oftheUI-iited Sta-tes, residingat Los Angeles7 in'thel county of lLos-Angeles and St-ateof California, have invented-certain new' and useful Improvements in Extensible` Car-Stepaof which the followingV is a'specitication.' i A This invention relates to' extension steps ifor'railway passenger coaches,street railway cars," etc. v

'O-ne'ai'm of the invention' is to provide a structure of the class ment-ioned which-the extensible* step will be automatically lowered .or extended upon opening of the door of the carandraised or retracted upon closing of the doori the use of manually operated leversor other actuating devices for the step being in this manner obviated.

Another aim of the invention is to 'so -'mount the extensible step 'that when in ex-A tended position it will be firmly braced and when retracted will be supported in position out of the way of obstructions along the track.

` -The inventionv further aims to so arrange the raisin and lowering mechanism for v,the step that 1twill be concealed from view and not be liable to be--disarranged bypersons ascending or descending the step. For a full understanding of the inventionl referenceY is-'to-be had to the Afollowing description and accompanying drawing, in which: y

Figure lis a side elevation of the/step structure embodying the invention.4 Fig. .-2 is a rear elevationthereof,l the extensible stepv beingshown raised. Fig. 3 isa sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Pigna isa fragment-ary perspective view of the exten sible step and. hanger.

' Corresponding and Alike parts are referred.l

'to in the following description'- and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawing bythe same reference characters.

"In the drawing, the vestibule platform of the car is indicated in general by the numeral 1 and the door is indicated by the numeral 2 .and in the drawing is illust-rated ashinged,A

although it .may be slidably mounted without departing from the spirit ofl the inven tion,'as will be present-ly explained. A relatively fixed iiight. of steps ot the ordinary type is .located at the side-'of the platformV andthe treads of this iiight 'of steps are indicated by theV numeral 3 and the stringers will now be explai i ed.

between which t-he treads. are mountedg'are indicated bythe numeral 1t. Each of the vsteps is provided at its rear with a relatively short riser and a riser-plate 6 issecured at its ends to the rear edges of the stringers 4 and extends K4between the said stringers and between the 'under side of the platform 1 and the tread of the upper step 3. Each Stringer '4 isv -tormedl in its outer face with parallel grooves or channels 7 which slidably receive the hanger arms of the extensionV step,v as

' The extension st p above mentioned isindicated by the numeralS and is provided" at its ends with upstanding iianges 9. pair of hanger-'arms- 10 are secured at their lower' en'dsto each of theflangesi) andfcx tend upwardly therefrom in inclined position and in yparallelrelation.- `These arms l10 are slidably received' -in the channels as abovestated and: at their upper ends are connected by means of a brace-bar the. Aendvportions of which larenbent at right angles as at 11 and secured in any suitable manner .to the said upper ends of Vthe hanger arms.

The intermediate portion of the brace-bar indicated by the numeral 12 extends tira-ns# versely in rearof the stringers 4;, as cleat-ly shown in Fig. v2 ofthe drawing. Thus, not only does'v the brace bar serve to connectand vproper'l space lthe upper ends of the'hangcr arms o each pairbut it alsoserves topreA- vent the. upper .ends of these hanger arms spreading away rom the 'respective stringy elsa. The hanger armsfarealso confined for sliding movementin the channels 7 by means of a yoke 13 havingA angular ends 14 secured tothe front a'iid rear edgesv of. .the stringers. and securedatl its intermediate portionas at 15- to the respective stringer loe-l' tween the channels This yokeisdprovided with an outwardly projecting flange 16 and the arms 10 'are'ormed or provided uponI i their outer sides with stop-shoulders 17 which are designed tolrestlupon the ange 1G when the step S'is/ineXten'd-ed position,

.the movement of the steptofthis positionbeing limited. by! thejengagement. of the. shonldturs .against the..fiang'e and the step being -raced in its extended Vposition .by

such engagement.As an additional 'means for bracing the' upper endso'f--the hanger-'f armsfagainstI movement out ofthe channels 7 there is" secured 'upon the outer'side of 110 each Stringer 4 a bracketIv 18 which extends between the channels 7 and parallel thereto.

tion ofthe bar/1l which connects the upper ends of each pair of hanger arms is slidably receivedbetween the intermediate portion ot' the bracket 1 8 and the outer side of. the adjacent vStringer et. A pulley 19 is mounted-upon the rear side of the riser plate 6 and a pulley 20 is mounted at the lrear side of the platform 1,F and 'a cable or other suitable flexible connectionl 2l,i s connected at one end as at 22 to the intermediate portion 12 of the bracebar which connectsl the upper ends of the hangerarm and is trained over these pulleys and connected as at 23 to the door 2. In Fig. 1

Aof the drawing the door is illustrated in open position and in Fig. 2is shown closed, and by referring to Fig. 2 it willbe readily understood that as the door is swung to open position the cable or other exible con' nection 21 will become slack and the step 8 and its hanger arms 10 will lower by gravity to extended position, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. It will also be understood that a-s-the door is swung to Closed position, the pull exerted upon the cable 21 will serve to raise or retract the step' 8 until it assumes a position beneath the lowermost one of the steps 3.

It will be apparent that the cable 21 might be connected to a sliding door equally as well as to the hinged door shown inthe drawing, and in fac-@if desired, it may have no connection whatsoever with the door but 4may be operated through the medium of an air cylinder. and piston controlled by the conductor, motorman or engineer.

Havingthus described the invention what is claimed as new is 1. In a struct-ure of the class described, a

relatively fixed step, stringere supporting4 the step, an extension step, hangers slidably mounted upon the stringers and supporting the extension step, cooperating stops upon the stringere and hangers arranged to limit aerienne.

the movement ot the extension step to extended position, means connecting the upper ends ot the' hangers' at each side oit the structure, a deaibleelement attached to the connecting means, 'and means connected with the said exibl'e element or 'raising and lowering the extension step.

2. in a structure of the class described,

a relatively tired step, stringers supporting the step, an extension step,the stringere be E ling provided with channels, hangers' slidably mounted within the channels andr supporting the extension step, means conlining 'the hangers for sliding movement in. the channels, a stop upon each of the hangers arranged to engage with the'contining meansl ,whereby tolimit the movement of the hangers to extend the extension step, means connecting ythe upper ends of the hangers at each side of the structure .and bracingthe ing against the outer faces of the reduced port-ions ol the hangers and adapted to be engaged by the unreduced port-ions thereof to limit their upwardv and downward movement7 and means operatively connected with Janne M; oonnRAY. [La] Vlitnesses ALVIN GALLAHER,

raising and lowering the ex- Mrs. M. A. IConnimr. 

